Running gear for baby carriages



0m. 13; 1931. G, STWSQN 1,827,492

RUNNING GEAR FOR BABY CARRIAGES Filed March 20, 1950 flea/ye? 4 52 7295 107 plifiedhrakingmechanism, applieablet'o all Patented 0a 13, 1931 1 emoxen'siumsofion GA DNER, MASSACHUSETTS,'ASSIGN OR mo ieEYwoon-wAKEFiELn a 00M:'ae rsr, onBoston,ntes'se(Jensen:21's; A gongoemxonon MAsgAQI-IUtSiETIg i C V fiN F G- EAB B F BY' A R 1 "QI'p Ii ation fledIlZareh 20, 1930. Serial 1T0. 437g5l 9. 'i q H [1, and secured thereto in any suitable, mane ner; are the Ifrontand, tear .axleszg. ands, nespe'ctively, on which are mounted the front 'Wh-eels 3, .3 :andther earwheels 4:,4; E2? tending Irearwardly "from the body-2 is'tlie I I v The 'presentintentionznelates generallyfto' V a "baby earriage chassis or running,-g'ear-,;anil

has'partienlar reference w the-brakingzinstrnmentalities thereof; as wen as to Certain 5 safetymechanism bronght'intoi opeifation by the act of setting the brakes for preventing the cania'ge; when stationary, from being l d Wen-GK The invention resides in "a novel and: sinibefp opelled forwardlyonfthe Wheels:3 4"v- The-carriage, Ias shown, is providedfvifith C 551 'a'front wheelfbraklng memberfi; and rear 7 four wheelsio-f the eairia'gefiand 'also'in the I I I wheelghrakmg member 7, eachrofthesetw 7 combination with brake/separating means; a

usual handle .bar 5 by w vhieh the'carriage nay I 1 by apersonwalkingdirectly behind thee-ar 51 h f e friag-eeand pushing .againstsaid handlebar. r I Y of asa-fety "or vanti-tipping; membe12Whih itself i-sjso construetezi' aslto 'serve; whnde- L: sired, as a footonemted means'forepemting theibmakes." Other and further ebwetsaand advantages "oftheinvention willheiimde imp:

parent in the zfolloiving' detailed description thereof, reference "beingthis 00 .19?-

membe ts being. a Y a relatively 3 thin flexible met'al'xstl ip that extends transversely ofthe A :60 beyond s aid flame memb rs into the spaces. between, the tires or treads of the whens ,3 7 v v and-4C. I Theparallel stripsorhars G'a-ncl 7 frame nembers1,1;.and projects its ends stand edgewise. thnoughojut their lengths, ex-

T; 12 or side elevation; and showing the ppar-ts :40 Fig.4 is aclwrgelsealefragmentary view k The chassis, r rummg gearef longitudinal.:si-de" n1enrbei-s 1,1, pie-feralfl'y V wardly and; mpmre y. itnrned fiends 'oii'isaid i" g n vensey iefilhe nee amenihens z, tionto the accompanying drawingsfnfhepeln 'FigJiisa top plan View Ofbdhyflrli1age running gearv having; my iniiention applied side members 1*, 1,; in thesehzonesgfther material of'eaeh strip is twisted through aippnoximately ninety deg ees to present :an extended substantially fiatsurface 8 in opposition to, i

therieto v Figa Qisnatiw o f said running geax i n in the the surface of thesidememben and at these ,iioints of intersection areprovided piyoltalf pins o1: rivets "9,"z9 passing through the side .mem-bers '1, 1 andthe braking members fi and 7; he fix the -1-atter. in position. Q e v Extending-transversely of the sigde mem-' (-7 11ers 1,,v 1;, betweenthe two braking bars-6 K endfigis a shaft10.,jthelatter adaptedito oseillate in suitable bearings 11; 11" .se'curedto V Reach-side membei'll. At one end, s aid shaft i 10 isioentgsubstantially at right angles-to prm "released eonditienof the 7 a .i

' F' '.?3isia 1 viewsi nflaTto Figlxil; shoiyw ing the parts in fpv "sitions' assumedhen the brakes are'iset, -2 r i stiitntes actuator; g r

illustrating the oscillatory diskiheit eon- 7 Like inference ehamiotensmeieiflto .7 fpsai'tsin the'difienent-figni'es a j H V seemed, theretm-at'lii, a rearwardly' extendling linkJll. 'The rear (end of link' ll; hasI-a l :pivota-l connection at;}1;5.-With a bent or flhelles5 -flank lewerigl-fi,arrangedlto swing on asnb stantiafly horizental flaXisi provided, ashere 'ri'agieis hershezwn as eompiikxing 1a pee-0i iofisnitable wresiilileer 1'21ma ti -mini'scifthatftheniui:

members may provide a spzringesnippo it tor the body 2 gofdihe carriage, shew.-

member the latter haying seen-zed thereto "-ceptfat theirzones of intersection with the i so}; 1: 4 Nideanupvvardly extending crank "arm 2,- end thefree end of the latter has pivot-ally shownyszfit-gthe pointiwhenethe materialief aid bent lever 15 @erossesthe adjacent. side I a suitable bearing bracket 17 for this purpose. The upward extension 18 of said bent lever provides a knob or handle 19, in convenient reach of a person walking behind the carriage and propelling the same by the handle bar 5. The knob 19 normally is disposed in the position illustrated by Fig. 2, but when it is thrust forwardly and downwardly into the position of Fig. 3, it effects simultaneously the setting of braking member 6 to lock the two front wheels 3', 3, and the setting of braking member 7 to lock the two rear wheels 4', 4,this occurring in the following manner r The shaft 10, substantially midway between the side members 1, 1, has secured thereto a disk 20, the latter,"as best shown in Fig. 4, having a curved slot 21 therein for the passage of braking member'6, and

also a curved slot 22 therein for the passage of braking member 7. Under normal condi tions, with the operating lever '16, 18 in the position illustrated by Fig. 2,, the angular position of the disk 20 is such that the curved edges 23 and 24 of slots 21 and 22, respectively, are substantially out of contact with the braking members 6 and However, when the handle or lever is thrust downwardly and forwardly into theposition shown by Fig. 3, the disk 20 undergoes a counterclockwise rotation that draws said edges 23 and 24 against the braking members 6 and 7, respectively, and inasmuch as said edges 23 and 24 are curved inwardly toward the center of the disk, they act as a pair of cams to forcibly flex the middle portions of the two members 6 and 7 inwardly, this action producing opposite turning movements about the pivots 9, 9 of sufficient amplitude to carry the free ends 6, 6 and 7, 7 of said members into, snug frictional contact with the adjacent tires or treads of wheels 3', 3' and 4', 4', respectively. v

In this way, by forward and downward rocking of lever 16, 18, the brakes are simultaneously set and. locked against all four wheels of the carriage. Said carriage, according to the usual practice, is made with a relatively short wheel base, or distance between the axes of front and rear wheel axles 3 and 4 to permit of easy handling, especially as regards the necessity, for tipping up the front end of the carriage, uslng the rear wheels as a fulcrum point, to surmount such obstacles as curbstones and the like in the normal forward propulsion of the carriage by the handle bar 5. On account of the relatively large overhang, for this purpose, of

. the carriage and the handlebar 5 beyond the rear axle 4, there is the possibility that if the attendant leaves the carriage with the brakes set, as above described, a child or other'unauthorized person may exert suflicient clownward pressure or pull on the handle bar 5 to tip the carriage over backwards. Asa.

safeguard against any such happening, my invention provides that the act of setting the brakes (either the four wheel brakes as herein shown, or any other type of brakes) shall interpose a positive obstruction to such rearward tipping, this being effected in the following manner As clearly shown in Fig.'1, the lever portion 16, below its point of pivotal attachment 15 with link 14, has a downward extension 25, at the lower end of which the material isbent to'provide a transverse arm 26 and a portion 27 paralleling the extension 25, with a terminal 28 that crosses the opposite side member 1 and has a bearing thereon, in'the form of a bracket 29, in substantial axial valinement with the bearing provided by bracket 17 on the other side member 1.

In the position shown by Fig. 2, with the brakes released, the depending member 25, 26, 27 occupies an out-of-the-way location beneath the body of the carriage, .and preferably is held against accidental displace ment from this location by frictional engagement with a spring arm 30 depending from one of the side members 1. The act of setting of the brakes forward and downward movement of the lever 16,18 throws the member 25,26, 27 (actually an extension of said lever) into the operative position shown in Fig. 3, where it stands as an obstacle to any rearward tipping of the carriage about the rear wheels as a fulcrum.. In addition, said member 25, 26, 27' serves as a convenient means, supplementing the handlever 18 and knob 19, for either setting or releasing the brakes, because of its being withineasy reach of the foot of any one who stands behind the handle bar 5 in the operation of the carriage.

I claim, 1 1. Braking mechanism for a 'baby carriage or the like, comprising a pair of adjacent substantially parallel transverse braking members, each adapted by fiexure to engage its ends with apair of-wheels of the carriage, a shaft extending transversely of the carriage between said members, and means carried by said shaft to flex both members when said shaft is rocked, thereby to obtain the braking of all four wheels of the carriage. i

2. Braking mechanism for ababy carriage or the like, comprising a pair of adjacent substantially parallel transverse brakingymembers, each adapted by fiexure to engage its ends with a pair of wheels of the carriage, a shaft extending transversely of the carriage between said members, and a disk on said shaft, providing an elongated curved slot for the passage of each braking member, the edges of said slots, WllGIllsiLlCl shaft is turned, procuring the fiexure of said members in opposite directions. i s

3. In a baby carriage or the like, the combination with braking meansffor the wheels,

and a hand lever for operating the same, of an extension on sand lever which assumes,1n

the set condition offsaid braking means, a position wherein it obstructs tipping of the. carriage about the rear wheels thereof as a fulcrum.

4:. In a baby binationwith braking means for the wheels;

. and a hand lever for operating the same, of

an extension on said lever which assumes, 1n the set condition of said braklng means, a

position wherein it obstructs tipping of the;

carriage about the rear wheels thereof. as a fulcrum, said extension serving also as a foot lever for the operation of said brakin means.

GEORGE STI SON.

carriage or the like, the comd 

